Insulation devices for storage containers such as coolers are well known in the art. In fact, the prior art is busy with different teachings for a wide variety of insulation devices, which range from complex containers with refrigerated cavities and insulating walls forming various compartments, to simpler insulating jackets that cover the exterior of refrigerated containers. Nevertheless, the prior art is riddled with inadequacies insofar as prolonging insulation of items such as perishables without the need for power-driven climate control devices, or otherwise efficient, inexpensive means of improving the insulation of perishables and the effectiveness of the cooling medium placed inside a cooler cavity.
For example, some devices attempt to insulate items stored in a cooler cavity by providing an additional layer of insulation on the exterior of the cooler containing the cooler cavity; these so-called cooler jackets however ultimately depend on the effectiveness of the cooler itself, and typically do little to prevent undesired heating. Other devices implement pockets of insulating material that may be filled with ice or other frozen materials; however, such devices do not tackle the problem posed by air circulating within the cooler cavity, which generally introduces heat to the stored items via convection and conduction. Similarly, devices that implement several layers of some insulating material around the cooler cavity or even beneath the cooler cavity fail to address the air within the cooler cavity itself, which itself reduces the insulating properties of the cooling container. Although some devices have tackled the problem of minimizing air that may be circulating within a cooler cavity, such devices do so inadequately; such inadequacies range from the types of materials implemented, to the construction of the devices that fail to provide an adequate seal in order to minimize heat convection or heat conduction.
Therefore, there exists a previously unappreciated need for a new and improved method for insulating items stored in a cooler cavity using a device that: prevents undesired heating from air circulating within the cooler cavity; adequately seals items within the cooler cavity to minimize air circulating within an unused portion of the cooler cavity; and is efficient to manufacture and readily available to a consumer.
It is to these ends that the present invention has been developed.